Oxford tops Fairhope in wild 3-game state championship series

Fairhope's Justin Hathcock (12) is out at second on a second-inning stolen-base attempt against Oxford in game two of the Class 6A baseball championship series at Riverwalk Stadium. (Josh Bean)

MONTGOMERY — Fairhope fell one comeback short of a state championship.

The Pirates (38-7) scored four runs with two outs in the seventh inning to beat Oxford 5-3 and force a winner-take-all game three in the Class 6A championship series Saturday, but the Yellow Jackets answered with a 12-7 victory in the nightcap at Riverwalk Stadium.

“It just didn’t come our way,” Fairhope senior Chase Domino said.

Oxford (39-13) won the first state baseball championship in school history, while denying Fairhope its first state baseball championship since 1984.

How disappointed was Fairhope with the outcome? As the Pirates posed for a post-game photo on the field, the state runner-up trophy sat on the dugout steps.

“I’m proud of our guys,” Fairhope coach Stu Fuller said. “They never had a doubt in their mind that we weren’t going to make this go three games today.”

Oxford pitcher Jackson Stephens no-hit Fairhope for five innings in Saturday’s first game, and it looked like the Yellow Jackets would cruise to a series sweep.

But Fairhope rallied for four runs with two outs in the seventh inning to keep its championship dream alive. Fairhope’s Toby Thomas singled to drive in Beecher Faust and Sam Sundbeck to tie the game at 3-all, and pinch runner Cole Henselor scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. Domino then drove in Thomas with a single.

The rally could have been avoided, but Oxford third baseman Joe McGuire opened the seventh by dropping a ground ball off the bat of Fairhope’s Brock Gilheart. Fairhope’s Ethan Hunt pitched a complete game to earn the win. Oxford scored three in the first, but Hunt shut the Yellow Jackets down the rest of the way.

“We’ve got a group of guys that just battle until the last out,” Thomas said.

Fairhope built a 5-1 lead after two innings and led 6-3 after five frames of Saturday’s second game, but Fairhope pitchers walked seven batters and hit four more.

Oxford scored six in the sixth — as Fairhope used three different pitchers — and Tucker Simpson drew a bases-loaded walk to score the go-ahead run. Fairhope scored one in the sixth, but couldn’t make another last-inning comeback.

“I think these guys will look back after a little time and realize what we’ve done this year and how far we’ve come,” Fuller said. “I know definitely we won’t be satisfied with anything but getting back here next year and maybe changing the result.”